Piedmont Improvement Program marks project milestones

Passengers along the Raleigh to Charlotte rail corridor in North Carolina will experience some of the benefits of the Piedmont Improvement Program (PIP) following project milestones met last week.

Thanks to the Duke Curve realignment project, passengers and freight trains, will be able to travel at increased speeds near the Rowan/Davidson County line. Previously, trains in the area had to slow down for the curve and could only go at maximum speeds of 45 miles per hour, while after the improvements, passenger trains will be able to travel at up to 65 miles per hour.

"This marks a significant step toward the PIP project's goals of improving efficiency and travel times of trains along the Raleigh to Charlotte rail corridor," said North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Director Paul Worley.

Another milestone was also celebrated further down the rail corridor last week on the Hopson Road/Nelson Clegg project near the Wake/Durham County line. As part of this project, new switches were installed for the passing siding, which will allow for completion of the final pieces of this project. The Hopson Road/Nelson Clegg project is constructing a new three-mile passing track and includes a new railroad bridge over Hopson Road.